Taurasi leads Mercury past Lynx, 127-124 in 2OT

Jul 25, 2010 - 4:21 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Diana Taurasi took over in the second
overtime and helped the Phoenix Mercury outlast the Minnesota
Lynx in the highest scoring game in WNBA history.

Taurasi scored 11 of her 31 points in the second overtime and
the Mercury set the league scoring mark with a 127-124 victory
over the Lynx on Saturday night.

Candice Dupree led the Mercury (10-12) with had 32 points, and
DeWanna Bonner and Penny Taylor added 20 each. Phoenix, which
rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter, eclipsed the
previous single-game record it set in a 123-91 victory at Tulsa
on Thursday.

"We have a lot of veterans on this team," Dupree said. "They
know how to stay composed and fight through how many ever
overtimes we need to get the win."

The previous combined record for both teams was 221 points, set
in the Mercury's 111-110 3OT win against Houston on Aug. 10,
2006.

Phoenix, which won for the fifth time in six games, topped 90
points for the seventh straight game, also a WNBA record. The
Mercury had done it six consecutive games on three prior
occasions.

Taurasi, the league's leading scorer at 23.4 points per game,
finished just 8 for 23 from the field, but was 14 for 14 from
the free-throw line - including seven in the second overtime.
She also made a fadeaway jumper and scored on a drive as she was
knocked to the floor.

"I got looks earlier and they weren't going down. I just stayed
with it," she said.

Seimone Augustus scored a season-high 36 points for the Lynx
(7-14). Charde Houston added 21 points as Minnesota lost for the
fifth time in seven games and fell 2 1/2 games behind Phoenix
for second place in the Western Conference.

The Lynx have lost their last three games by a combined seven
points.

"It's tough because we feel like we're almost there, but we just
can't get over the hump," said Minnesota's Rebekkah Brunson, who
had 19 points and a franchise-record 17 rebounds for her c10th
double-double of the season.

Phoenix made 29 of 33 free-throw attempts. Minnesota made just
30 of 43, missing six in the final 1:16 of regulation.

"We pride ourselves on making free throws, we've led the league
the last couple of years," Taurasi said. "They are free points.
When you can capitalize on them it helps in games when you're
not necessarily shooting the ball well. ... It's something as
simple as that that can change the outcome."

The Mercury used a 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to
pull to 90-88, but Houston hit a long jumper and a 3-pointer on
the next two Minnesota possessions. A 3-pointer by Taurasi got
the Mercury to 99-98 with 12 seconds to go before Lindsay Whalen
made one of two free throws for the Lynx.

Bonner capped the Mercury's fourth-quarter comeback with a tying
jumper with 2.1 seconds left. It was the first tie of the game.

Augustus scored 15 points in the third quarter to key a
Minnesota rush after Phoenix got within four points early in the
second half.

A pair of long jumpers by Augustus sandwiched around one of her
five 3-pointers gave the Lynx a 79-66 lead. After Phoenix scored
six straight, Augustus hit another long jumper to put Minnesota
up nine.

Augustus scored seven of Minnesota's points during a 13-4 run
for a 45-28 lead midway through the second quarter. Phoenix used
a 10-2 run to pull to 54-47 at halftime.